Winter's Solace
by AmbrosiaWishes
Summary: Thrusted into a different universe and a different time...Holly Potter is dragged as an unknown by Hydra with the intent of being controlled. And control they did. Every part of her. / In which Bucky Barnes realizes he (or rather...the Soldier) is bonded and the Avengers have another assassin after them. / Canon-Divergence. ABO!AU. Fem!Harry.


**Winter's Solace: (ABO!AU. Fem!Harry.) Thrusted into a different universe and a different time...Holly Potter is dragged as an unknown by Hydra with the intent of being controlled. And control they did. Every part of her. / In which Bucky Barnes realizes he (or rather...the Soldier) is bonded and the Avengers have another assassin after them. / Canon-Divergence.**

**Hydra OCs are to be expected.**

**TORTURE AND SUICIDE MENTION. READ WITH CAUTION.**

* * *

**1953\. Russia.**

It was a cold autumn in Russia and yet the Northern Lights have not lit up above in the night sky. It is an odd absence, but nobody really paid much attention to the lack of beautiful light.

There was a slight howl of wind.

Then came a boom.

* * *

She is an Omega...Yet something about her screams power.

The woman that the crew have brought in a few hours ago was unconscious. The lack of Northern Lights was odd, but never commented on by any of the members of Hydra. Until, that is, a signal of energy was picked up by one of their machines.

Hydra had wasted no time in investigating the cause with their team. What they found surprised everyone. This included the leader, Doctor Andropov, as he looked through all the documents the team had given him once they arrived with the package and laid the package onto a cot for inspection. It was no wonder the unknown was brought in to his base. His base was proficient in Experimentation.

The pictures he looked through were interesting to say the least.

A young woman was found by the team laying in the snow, face down. Black soot surrounded her. The harsh contrast between black ash and white snow was apparent in the polaroid. She had no burn marks of any kind, but it was obvious there was some sort of heat energy involved with the slow melting snow surrounding her. Some of the pictures looked as if static was coming out of her. He at first couldn't tell if that was a fault in the camera or if her body really was producing such an effect. According to one of the verbal reports of the search party, it was definitely her who had been radiating green static. There was also a sign of injury on her person. She had a deep gash across her abdomen area. The omega looked to be good as dead but...

Doctor Andropov glanced up from the polaroid pictures he had been handed and to his side where she was laying on a medical cot. She was breathing with difficulty. It made Andropov wonder if she was on the run or if she had been in a fight of some kind. Where Hydra found her, there were no villages nearby for miles.

Andropov raised a hand to brush black curls away from the woman's face. A lightning scar on her forehead was of interest to him, but only for a moment. Any identity of the woman was unknown. No data on her. No identification cards nor passports. No belongings. Nothing of the likes.

He scanned her, leaned in to sniff her, and concluded she indeed was an Omega and not a Beta or Alpha...

Which raised the questions of where she came from and how she was emitting an odd energy out of her own body. How did she get here? Who was she?

His eyes glinted in a fascinated way as he brushed his hand over her arm. An odd static energy clung to her and vibrated almost angrily at his touch.

And could they use her?

* * *

"..."

Holly Potter woke up with a startle. Her green eyes flashed in fear, panic, and like a cornered animal she quickly retreated to the closest corner of the room she was in. There was no door. Well, none that she can see. A containment room?

She didn't like it.

The Omega hissed in pain, quickly reaching up to her abdomen where she had been hit with a particularly bad spell. Cutting curse? No...It couldn't have been. When she had been battling the cult of Dark Lord worshippers with Ron and the other Aurors, the enemy had yelled out something she didn't hear very clearly. By the time she could dodge whatever was coming at her, it was too late.

Her fingers delicately touched the wound. However, to her surprise, she was met with a thick amount of bandages. Holly growled lightly. She would have been just (slightly, very slightly) less cautious if she were in a white room or something obviously medical...But this room screamed prisoner.

And Holly Potter was a prisoner to no one.

Dragging herself upwards while using the wall as support, she glanced around the room warily. Battle mode. She was still in battle mode. The mission is still ingrained in her mind's eye and this could still be part of her mission if she were captured by those cultists.

However, her hand that had been on her abdomen lowered to her thigh holster. She needed her weapon.

...Only for her fingers to wiggle at nothing and her palm to pat hard at the side of her naked thigh.

Her eyes widened a fraction.

Her wand was missing? Did they take it? Where'd it go?

She was beginning to panic now. Whomever has it has the advantage. She never was any good with non-verbal spells like Hermione, but she could still certainly try.

Apparition, maybe?

No no. She was injured. She could make it worst or splinch herself needlessly. But...she had to take the chance.

_Augh... _Her head was throbbing in pain and so was her abdomen.

"Ah good. You are awake."

The Omega flinched and looked around the room. Her breathing pace became faster than usual and her eyes were now at their 'deer caught in the headlights'. Where's that voice coming from?

A low chuckle rumbled along with static. She looked up to see a small speaker at the corner of one room. Looking across the ceiling, she realized there is a camera on the opposite corner. Intercoms? Muggle technology. Holly leaned further into the wall and held her hand against the bandages to place pressure into the painful cut. She was captured by muggles. She could escape easily if she wanted, _Obliviate_ them later, but she didn't have her wand.

Damn this Potter luck of hers.

"Greetings _Omega_. " She didn't like the way the voice spat out the word omega with disgust. "Ah. I know you can not see me," the speaker clicked their tongue twice, "but I can see _you_. I am Doctor Andropov. We are going to ask you questions...and you are going to answer them."

"...Who's we...?" Holly whispered while glowering up at the ceiling where the camera is at. Usually she'd be sarcastic and unpleasant, but her instincts practically screamed at her to not trust anyone right now. To not give any information. So she will have to be overly-cautious and unpleasant instead.

Well, maybe a little sarcasm will be fine.

Holly knew that her own questions would not be answered so she gave a small growl to respond to 'Andropov'. "I don't think so..."

She glared at the camera to let them know she's not just some bunny in a cage. No. These muggles got a lioness in their hands. As friendly as she could have been to the people who tended her, the welcome was not at all welcoming. The room was not either. Every fiber of her being was putting her into fight or flight mode.

She trusted her instincts more than anything.

"Ahh, but you **will**." Without warning, a scent was forced into the room. Holly's eyes widened in surprise at the overwhelming stench. Alpha scents. All different, but all the same musky smell of an Alpha. What the hell?

How is this possible when there are no Alphas even close by?

"Tell me your name." Command was being used. She could tell. With the swirling scents surrounding her, it was hard to focus on anything but her Omega-side telling her to hightail it when there was no exit.

Most omegas would scream to obey.

Hers was never quite obedient.

She had always wondered if Tom Riddle was the reason for it the day he unknowingly put a piece of himself, an Alpha's horcrux, inside her. Should she blame that bastard or thank him for her lack of omega-submissiveness?

Holly closed her eyes at the thought of the origin of her scar before looking up at the camera once more. She inhaled the scent defiantly and stood straighter.

She had to get out.

"How about 'Sod off'?" Her eyes brightened in their green color. The determination that was there will not burn away. She had enough of this. She has a mission to finish with Ron and she has to find her team. The way this will end if she stayed is not good.

Reaching into her magical core to apparate away, Holly was determined to leave with closed eyes. She pulled at her magic...

Only for metaphysical fingers to grab at water.

"…?"

She tried again.

Nothing. No sign of her magical core.

Holly felt the creep of panic start to seep in. The woman opened her eyes in realization. What was that attack her enemy used on her? It wasn't a cutting curse at all, and she didn't know what the hell it was, but she can't feel her magical core anymore! She couldn't feel the gentle tugs her core would make when she's in pain to mend whatever injury was inflicted on her. She didn't feel the usual presence of something warm inside her. The energy that she was gifted with and that gives her strength is missing.

She couldn't use her magic.

* * *

Behind a screen, Andropov watched in interest at the Omega. He almost thought it was a trick in the lighting or eye...But he was definitely sure he saw sparks come out of this woman's body for a fracture of a second.

How fascinating.

He didn't even feel the need to speak into the intercom. Instead, he merely watched her just to see what she was doing.

The woman who seemed to be concentrating on something seems to have failed by the look in her eyes. The panicked look was then turned into a controlled, neutral mask. Such a fast switch and oh how convincing it looks! He could tell she has been trained in some way to hide her emotions. Of course, she had to be. Not many omegas would last in a confined room full of the musks of Alphas. They'd bend backwards if told to by a Beta with the amount of scent that was perfumed into the room.

Yet this one breathed it all in and stood her ground.

Andropov tried again. However, he added more powerful Alpha essences into the room. The slightest twitch of her nose gave away that she had smelt the change in power level, but nothing further. No dip of the head, no locked knees, and no pouted lips.

He pressed a button to speak. Omega's were very easy to break but this one was proving to be a fighter. Almost Beta-like or rather...almost like an Alpha since this was the strongest musk they extracted forcefully from the enemy's strongest forces or willingly from Hydra's best of leaders.

"Tell me your name, omega."

The woman's lips twitched but she hardly moved a muscle. She was concentrating on not going on her knees. Andropov sighed. He had a love-hate relationship with the fighters. He hated when it wasn't easy...But he loved the results when he broke them. It seems he was going to have to really break this new toy for her to talk.

He turned to one of the underlings around him.

"Send in one of the strikers. Tell him to rough her up and to stay in the room until my say."

"Yes sir."

Andropov leaned back into his chair and watched the screen in front of him. Time to start breaking in the new, and very much unexpected, experiment.

"And tell them to leave the face. I like them pretty...for now."

* * *

Holly laid in the cot of her containment room. Bruises littered whatever was visible on her body. The patient's gown did little help in hiding the stitches that adorned her legs. The woman had a black eye, the whites of the pained eye was slightly red from punch it had received so mercilessly. Her eyes gave no indication of breaking, but it was close. Very close.

She's been through the Cruciatus. She's died and lived. She's been through tortures of many kinds before and after the Wizarding War.

Yet it was the lack of her magic that was wearing her down. Her omega side was slowly giving in, latching with a weak grip onto the familiar strength she had been born with.

The lack of her core weakened her to almost a non-magical civilian level. Her _Occlumency_ shields deteriorated so badly that the only energy she had left was living.

Something happened to her magic. She could hardly feel it now and it's been painful for her; the way she wanted to escape but can't. It was like living with the Dursleys again except much...much worst. New overseers who attempted to break her in every way and used her Omega status to their advantage would revel in her pain. They'd spit on her when they had the chance. Hit her. Starve her. Humiliate her. Their hauntingly cruel smiles (so similar to Bellatrix's...) secreted those hidden torments that vowed pain even if she were to comply.

Holly felt small. She felt like the little girl that was under the staircases once more with empty eyes that if one were to look at, they would have noticed how much she hated herself and how much she hated living as the freak who lived in Privet Drive with the Dursleys.

Holly was so broken down that she wondered if anyone was looking for her. Ron and Hermione had to be looking for her, right? They were her friends. They were the Golden Trio. The ones who defied evil.

Waiting to be saved when you were the one used to saving people was very hard. It was also very scary.

Her arms pushed against the cot as she sat up. A hiss escaped her lips as she looked at all the bruises, cuts, and scars on her being. By this time her magic would have at least healed the first few.

How long has it been?

4 months. Maybe more. Time ticked far too slow but she made note of the dates on the digital calendars on computers these 'Hydra' have. Every few weeks began to get more unique in torture methods and she was forced to brave through it all by herself. She wasn't ashamed to give her name after Day 1. She wasn't stupid enough to get hurt for a damn name. But where she came from, who she really was... she had to hide that.

Holly held her hand up to look at it in the dim lighting. A few fingers were healing after being broken and she could see that her nails are slowly growing back from where they pulled them out. She held her hand close to her chest. Yesterday, they said they will finally break her in. And even if she had no info to give, they will make her do everything they tell her. They sounded so entirely sure too.

She would snort at the idea if she had her magic. Defy defy defy even until they paralyzed her neck down! But she wasn't Holly Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived... Not in this place. She was a nobody.

Because in this world, they have informed her that Holly Potter never existed. And if she let the info slip that she once lived in the street Privet Drive, they punished her for it because Privet Drive didn't exist. Little Whinging did not exist. Surrey existed, but not Little Whinging nor Privet Drive.

Is this why her magic isn't responding to her...? Is she in a universe where wizards and witches didn't exist...? Because that would be the only explanation she had for her friends not finding her yet. Or at least that is what she truly hopes to be true.

"..." Holly attempted to curl her fingers, staring at them. She still felt her magic. It was still there. Somewhere...Holly didn't understand why she couldn't feel it solidly like she used to. It was like touching steam then attempting to grab it. You know it's there. It's real.

But you can't touch it.

Her thoughts paused from thinking about her magic. Her thoughts detoured to what Hydra (or rather, the doctor) had in store for her that has them so sure of themselves in breaking her today. Never in her life would she imagine that she had, in fact, trembled at the thought while Andropov's team of torturers hovered their disgusting Beta or Alpha musk over her. They were cutting deep into her skin with knives, holding her down...

Holly suddenly turned to the toilet that was part of her room and felt herself dry heaving into it. Her stomach rolled with the dry heave. No food could come out of her system when she hadn't eaten in a long time. Starvation was not something she thought she'd experience again in her life since the Dursleys. Yet here she is.

No sooner had she dry heaved did the door open and two soldiers walked in with Andropov in between.

The overpowering scents of Alpha hit her with a blow to her diaphragm. She could barely breathe and she found her omega side whimpering pitifully in the recesses of her brain. Harry growled lowly against her porcelain bowl, glowering directly at Andropov even as more scientists moved in.

That's when she noticed the silver cart.

Her heart raced and she attempted to move so that she was squished between the cot and the toilet.

"Now now, Holly. We told you that we needed answers. It's a shame, really, that we'd have to resort to this to get you to talk. Even after all that we've done for you."

Holly felt herself shudder. What they've done for her...? They've done nothing but hurt her!

Holly kept her mouth shut instead of making a snarky comment. Every snark she had made caused pain beyond words. It is best to be quiet.

"However, after much searching, we realized that you are a nobody here. You don't exist. No missing reports. No hospital files. No obituaries. No escaped convicts of any kind...Nobody of importance in the governments in England or America. ...You are no one."

Andropov stared at her with a poker face that anyone could have sweating over. His hands locked together in front of his belt line. While standing, he placed his weight to the heels of his feet then straightened back up to give a sort of hop-like motion. He was giving a high and mighty stature. He looked like he was ready to reveal a secret he had kept hidden for a long time.

Holly was having trouble breathing. She knew full well that Andropov is a psychotic sadist and what he said did not mean he's going to let her go. She could see it in his eyes. The amusement of him playing cat and mouse.

She didn't dare move.

"..."

All was silent before he turned towards one of the scientists.

"Take an eye."

The world shifted and Holly froze. Green eyes snapped over to each scientist's back as they turned to the silver cart. One pulled away the paper towels over their tools to reveal the instruments of her torture.

No syringes.

No pain killers.

Just a scalpel...a jar of formaldehyde... and the two bodyguards stalking towards her and grabbing her weak body in their arms.

She couldn't struggle given how weak she was.

Holly felt her omega no longer hissing or whimpering. Instead, it stared wide eyed with her. Her breath was stuck in her throat.

Holly was trembling.

She was scared.

"N-No... Please, don't. Please, not my eye...! Anything but my eye-!"

It didn't register that the Hydra leader had approached her so suddenly until she felt Andropov grab her by the chin and tilt her head up. She was forced to glance up at his blue eyes, but she couldn't help but want to look back at the scalpel every few milliseconds. The sound of gloves snapping in place sounded louder in her ears than it should. Holly wanted so badly to struggle. She wanted to cry for Hermione or Ron to save her. Hell, she found herself pleading Death to kill her.

Nobody came.

"It's a shame how pretty you are...But omegas need to learn their place with alphas."

* * *

"**AAAH!" **Holly screamed in the chair they placed her in. Both eyes were shut closed with one eye dribbling blood down her face. Her body was arched forward as electricity and fire burned through her veins. Her mind, though capable of taking harsh _Legilimens_, was weakened and therefore vulnerable to things that penetrated into her mind. She felt the force of the machine's presence hitting her like a freight train. Then it took over and ripped and ripped and _ripped. _

Her memories felt hazy with every shock.

Her name felt hazy.

_You are Omega._ The machine bashed into her mind as it got rid of everything she is.

_Handlers will be in control of you._

_You can not defy Hydra!_

_Omegas should know their place._

_You are an omega under Hydra._

_Hydra is everything._

The messages flashed while at the same time her memories got blurred.

All she knew was that she was an omega. All she knew was Hydra.

She could hear words in Russian (with an English translation in the background) being spoken to her.

Omega started to cry out in pain. Between her legs, her own urine pooled and dripped down to the floor below. The acrid smell was ignored by everyone surrounding her. Listening to her. Her hands were attempting so hard to get out of their restraints to reach her head, to pull off this strange device, and to rid of all this pain. As the tears in her eyes dripped down with her blood, all she could hear was Andropov whispering in her ear.

_**Hail, Hydra.**_

The machine stopped.

And she went limp...yet still alive. Her pained panting turned into hardened, slow breaths.

Her pain tolerance was what Andropov enjoyed. He appreciated her exhausted form with curious eyes. It is her lack of files, her tolerance of pain, and the fact that she is like no other Omega that he will use her.

His favorite experiment.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Hydra**

* * *

"_After the leak of several files from Shield's agent, Natasha Romanoff, aka "Black Widow", Congress has declared a public persecution of over 20 government officials who are revealed to be members of Hydra, a terrorist organization that have been around since the time of Hitler. Unfortunately at this revelation, most of these ex-government officials have been found dead before court could-"_

Click.

"_Mister Rogers! Do you believe Ms. Romanoff has done the right thing in revealing the secrets of Shield? How do you feel about the deaths that have been happening randomly to members of Hydra? Do you think this is a good thi-"_

Click.

"_The American government should be ashamed for not having properly combed through who works here! We are living in the future, and yet it feels we are still stuck in the past. These deaths do no justice for us. Murderers and terrorists are dying out there...but by whom? Certainly not by an Avenger! This is not justice. This gives zero satisfaction for what they have do-"_

Click.

_Sigh._

Steve sat against his couch, staring at the now blank television. The remote in his hand was tossed to his side, landing on a couch pillow. Maybe watching 7 o'clock news was not a good idea after a run and shower.

Steve stood up from the couch and headed towards his kitchen to get some more water for himself. His phone was vibrating and he knew he had to get a move on. He might as well get some fresh air while he was at it instead of asking for a ride.

As soon as the Alpha- _previously an Omega once upon a time_\- got his coat, water bottles, and his keys, he set off out of his room and out the apartment.

The moment he exited the apartment, he was greeted to the smell of the city. It was definitely not Brooklyn, but it was still New York. If he were ever asked if he missed Washington, he would comment he did...But that he was used to moving around. He had long moved out of Washington, D.C. after Bucky (_he was so sure it's Bucky..._) saved his life and was staying in New York once again. The apartment he is a tenant of was a courtesy of Natasha.

He looked up at the sky with a slightly fond smile. Steve turned to his right to begin his trek to meet a certain someone. Or rather, a few some ones.

A few blocks away was his destination; a tall building with a large 'A' on the side of it.

The apartment he lives in is situated close to the Avengers Tower, formerly Stark Tower.

He recalled how Tony told him it was always open to any of the Avengers needing a place to crash. Stark had offered it to Steve when he found out about the Winter Soldier (how'd he find out so fast? ...Well, he is a Stark) and sounded bummed when Steve declined despite Sam and Natasha accepting the offer. Natasha was closer to her friend Clint whereas Sam was more than happy to not look a gift horse in the mouth when he found out he didn't need to pay rent. Fortunately for Steve, Natasha had made the suggestion to live close by as compromise until he was ready to move with everyone. She was a good friend who noticed he needed some space for now.

* * *

"Y'know Cap, isn't it a bit of a hassle to walk over 20 blocks to get to the tower? You have to get tired of it eventually. I still got your room set up for you. Even placed an old record player that I found in a Flea Market. Just a lil something I picked out personally while accompanying Pepper for your homesickness of the olden days." Tony was in the lab, fixing up one of many suits he had while speaking to the air. Jarvis was transferring his voice to the elevator lift where Steve was currently standing in, going up to his destination.

Tony didn't like his tower in Manhattan if he was honest. Too many people were around. Too many casualties could happen if someone strong decided to attack the Avengers. Happy was already making arrangements to look at some lots and sharing plans with Pepper on how their next base would be.

"Though I appreciate the sentiment Tony, I think I'll be okay." Steve glanced to the camera where he knew Tony would glance at a screen to look at him. The captain had a friendly smile towards his comrade in arms.

Tony clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth then began to wipe his hands with a towel.

"If you say so, Cap. I'll be over there in a few minutes. I actually got some information you'd like to look at. We can get a meeting going on- Jarvis can you get everyone on board into the kitchens?- and then I say we get some Chinese because I...am starving."

"I've never really been too big on Chinese food before. Never seemed to set in well with my stomach."

"That's because you haven't tasted the one three blocks away from the tower. Trust me, the food is amazing. I had faith in it the moment I entered and the first one to show me to a table was a 9 year-old Asian kid."

"Isn't it a little early for Chinese food?"

"After the meeting, it won't be."

He watched Steve smile up at the camera. The blond's shoulders gave a small jump to show he had chuckled before walking out the lift once it opened. He needn't reply.

Tony glanced to the side out the window. The Beta released as much tension as he had through his breaths. It was obvious the Alpha was tense after the battle in D.C. He would be too if Hydra was still around and to know your war was never truly over.

He hoped the news he was going to give will lift up some of the burden Steve seemed to be putting on himself.

* * *

**Bucharest, Romania.**

The Alpha was wearing a blue cap to hide his face as much as possible. To cover his body, he wore a large coat. Most if not all his clothing items were stolen from a store back in Hungary. He was staring into space while sitting on a park bench just a few blocks away from his safe house. There was a faint tug on his bond to which he closed his eyes and responded to it by giving a gentle tug back. The tug attempted to pull hard and he shut it down quick, hiding what he felt and what he was doing.

Bucky didn't know what to call himself anymore sometimes. There were nights when he'd wake up as the Soldier (or Asset), searching in the dark for enemies just because he heard a faint noise. Other times he'd find himself being the Alpha, responding to a bond he had made that he knew he didn't have control over... Yet he'd always have to stop his alpha side when he'd respond and the bonds were pulled too hard, knowing that his mate would find him fast and that it just wasn't a good thing if she found him.

And he was sure he wasn't really the old time Bucky from the 1900's anymore. The one before the accident.

He glanced up at the sky. What can he do with himself nowadays? He knows for sure he can't ever go back to Hydra. Never. But...he was unsure if he can go back to America where Steve is. He was unsure if he even should. Not when he didn't deserve it after all that's happened.

Bucky felt another gentle pull at the bond that made it feel like being tugged on the hem of his shirt by a shorter, curious person.

He knew that was exactly what it was deep down.

Today, his mate had been tugging a lot on him and he was very sure it was all just to find him once again, but he humored his mate (_or rather, himself_) by letting himself actually open up a little more to her grabs for attention. To steady himself for her many touches and pulls, _-he snorted at the thought of her being clingy-_ the man sat his ass down in a park on a bench to steady his mind and body when responding back to her. Most days he would allow the bond to purr between them, but when he knew she was getting close as to finding where he was, he'd put a wall between them.

There was just one problem when he did that.

He'd feel the very faint sadness and ache for him. It was so faint, he would have thought he imagined it. But it was there and he knew it. Bucky could imagine her face staring up at him with the wide doe eye that even he had come to become fond over, looking sad and empty.

Bucky wrung his hands together and licked his lips. He _wanted_ to find her again. To bring her to him. He knew she was just as defective as he was. But there is just too many cons than pros with being together.

And the one time they got close- _touchable close-_ it was in Norway.

* * *

_She had stopped in front of him after having cornered him in his apartment room. Of course, he could run out the room any time he wanted. But...the Winter Soldier told him to stay the moment he saw her. He felt the buzz of their bonds vibrating before turning into a warmth that reminded him of every time he came out the cryo-tank and craved that comfortable fire that she emitted._

_The omega opened her mouth, ready to speak the code that would turn him back to Hydra. He didn't want to listen._

"**Stop...**_**" **__he tried to Alpha Command her in English. _

"_супруг." She didn't stop and spoke the first trigger word in a Russian language. "рассвет."_

"_**Останови это!"**__ Bucky yelled in Russian this time. He made sure to use Alpha Command once more, sending in his scent to persuade the Omega in front of him to do as she was told._

_Instead of stopping, she gritted her teeth and continued to speak the trigger words that would push him back into an empty Hydra asset._

"птица_... зима..."_

_He squeezed his eyes shut. The tingle of lightning was slowly appearing on the sides of his head. It felt like the chair. It felt like it was getting ready before it would zap him and get rid of all he is. He didn't want that. He didn't want to forget...!_

_No...stop...!_

"_Персеф-."_

"_**Останови это. **_**Сейчас**_**."**_

_Bucky growled loudly and grabbed at his head, he could see the confusion mar her face because he gripped at the bonds they shared. The metaphysical threads that connected them together were strangled by him, showing how much pain he was in that he wanted to use it as an anchor. This pain. It was like reliving the beginnings of the chair and it hurts. It hurts...! _

_It was through that action that she stopped and gasped in pain too. The woman doubled over, one hand rested over her chest, the other attempting to grab at something, anything, to hold on to only to smack onto a wall. It had made him feel guilty at first, but very relieved. Once he knew the pain was gone, the tight hold on the bonds loosened up._

_It took both of them a moment to catch their breath before one of them moved. Seconds passed. Then a minute. In order to not stay at a standstill, the alpha decided to make a decision on the spot._

_Bucky took a step forward._

_She took a step back._

_He stopped._

_She stopped._

"_..."_

_The clock on the wall continued to leave a steady metronome tick._

_He took a step forward again._

_She took a step back. His omega looked ready to escape._

_Instead of running away, Bucky walked closer to her in a slow but steady pace, tugging on their bonds in a loving manner as an apology for the pain to his omega. It took those simple apology tugs to stop her retreat._

_When he was just a foot away from her, his breathing had calmed...but hers had not. He could hear the way her heart beat faster as she looked up at him in confusion, but with a tinge of awe. He noticed another flash of emotion appear in her eyes. Wanting. Whether it was wanting for him or wanting for him to get the fuck away from her, he did not know. But he was 80% sure it was the good kind of want._

_Their silence without the code words had helped him look her over in a different perspective._

_Because god, he has never truly seen her before outside as the Asset... She was beautiful._

_Her hair was dark. Almost black with a hidden wine hue to it. _

_When he had first met her, first bonded with her, her hair was pixie-cut short. No doubt it was courtesy of the Hydra scientists. But in front of James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, is a woman with short length waves, fair skin, seashell colored lips, and a lightning bolt scar on her forehead._

_She had a black eyepatch over her left eye; but the eye not covered, well, he could get lost in them forever. What took him by surprise was that he saw that familiar look of humanity in her green eye. _

_She was gorgeous. A downright beautiful dame if he ever saw one._

_Something in him stirred._

_The Alpha held his hand up to take her chin and tilted it upwards. She stiffened at first, nearly ready to bite him if her bared canines were anything to go by._

_He ran his thumb across her chin. Bucky was showing no fear and releasing calming hormones her way. The warning action the omega made previously was lost on them both as she began to close her mouth slowly. Without realizing it, the hormones had done it's job and she was softly murring once he had shown he was not going to hurt her. The Alpha tilted her head up a little more so he could glance at the permanent bite mark he had made years ago on her neck. He pulled away to take a step back once he sniffed deeply at the spot, letting her sniff at his own neck, before slowly coming to his senses._

_The bright green eye looked up into his icy blues. He watched her breath hitch and her hand slowly lift to touch him in return. The appendage was trembling in fear. Bucky made no motion to move. He watched cautiously._

_She had grabbed at her wrist with her free hand, turned, and ran._

_Bucky didn't chase her._

* * *

He sighed on the bench and leaned over so that his elbows met his knees. Running his fingers through his hair, he'd contemplate once more on the reasons why it is a bad idea to meet again and for her to stay with him.

Birds chirped overhead and he looked over his shoulder.

_Paranoid bastard._ He thought to himself before looking back at the floor. He couldn't blame himself for being paranoid though. Someone will eventually find him and they'll force him out of his safehouse. If they were "good guys", they'd be in danger and he didn't want that. If they were bad guys, people will still be in danger. He didn't want to go back to killing innocent people so it was best to be...alone.

...His mate would be pretty lonely though.

Wait.

No! What is he thinking?!

She is just another weapon to Hydra that was made into his mate (that he didn't even freely choose!) So why in the world should he care about the omega being alone? Or even just in general?!

His Alpha and the Winter Soldier growled at him for the thought to which he grumbled in defense that things were just complicated for him at the moment. His shoulders hunched after realizing he was trying to put a bit of blame on his mate. He shouldn't blame her. She is just like him. They had no choice in bonding and now...well, he's responsible for her now, right? That's what Alphas do for their Omegas. They take care of their own.

Bucky rolled his face into his hands. The male was going in a back and forth motion into his palms to calm himself. The little pulls to the bonds had stopped for now. Bucky sighed and pulled his hands away to stare at the grassy floor. The birds were no longer chirping overhead and the sky is about to turn dark soon. He stood up after some time then took a walk towards the food stalls. He might as well get some food before going home.

* * *

**Avengers Tower. Manhattan, New York.**

"Some of these deaths were cold, calculated, and deliberate. Obviously, from all the holes they have on their...Body. However, because it just seemed strange with how many of the Hydra have been killed off, I took the liberty of looking into the evidence files. I also have come to the conclusion that the deaths of these Hydra are from...well, Hydra themselves." Tony was pulling up screen after screen while holding an apple in his hand. Most of the pictures that showed were of dead men out in the public or at their home.

Some were of videos he had found in a deeper part of the web; videos of Hydra men surrounded by officers, just coming out of their homes, or even somewhere public like a café, were being killed out in public. People in the surrounding area would begin to scramble about as soon as a man fell to the floor, dead. Although the videos were on mute, anyone could tell that there were lots of screaming.

Natasha, Clint, and Steve watched with furrowed eyes. Bruce was glancing away every few seconds. Sam and Rhodey stared at the desk. Sam, with one arm latched at the support of his chair, stared at the desk in frustration. Rhodey, leaning forward and holding his hands on top of the table, stared at the desk with a look that said he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

"Why in the world are Hydra killing their own members?" Rhodey finally asked. He looked up and licked his lips. "It makes sense to kill the ones that don't look loyal to their cause, but to kill almost all of them in the last few months the moment info was shared is kind of..." He didn't have the word to explain the puzzle that is Hydra.

Natasha looked like she was in battle with herself. Something didn't seem right to the Alpha and it showed as the Betas (and Sam) in the room took a glance at her with caution. Steve and Clint, who sat next to her, hardly flinched at the vibes she was sharing.

Tony took the liberty to go into files of other Hydra members to ignore the frustrated vibrations the Alphas were giving off. None of it made sense. Sure, Hydra would kill themselves off if they were taken for torture and information, but the sheer _amount_ of caught Hydra who died is absolutely a mystery to the man of iron. Especially given that among the deaths were of some very loyal members according to the publicized files Nat had made open to the public.

The screen stopped at pictures of 5 more Hydra members. There are only 5 more ex-government members left. None of which wanted protection.

Not that they deserved it but still-

It was...

Suspicious.

Tony paused at the evidence of bullets. The bullets were the main reason he knew they were Hydra killing each other off. Steve was the first to feel his breath hitch. Natasha stiffened.

Russian made bullets. The same ones that the Winter Soldier uses in his assassination missions.

Steve didn't want to go into conclusions and squirmed uneasily in his seat. Natasha felt the muscles in her jaw tighten.

Tony snapped his eyes to look at the captain and spy while running his fingers against his beard. He lifted his other hand that held the apple and took a bite.

"Would any of you like to share with the class?" Tony piped up towards the two alphas as he chewed.

Neither Alpha spoke for a minute.

"...Right. Well-" Tony almost went to keep looking at the pictures only to be stopped by a voice.

"Those are the same bullets the Winter Soldier uses...-" Natasha spoke first only to get cut off by Steve.

"It was probably other Hydra. They are probably using the same bullets. Bucky is not the Winter Soldier...Not anymore..." The unspoken 'I don't think' was hidden at the end of his statement. Steve continued without missing a beat. "He saved my life, Nat. Last time we got word of him, he left Washington and went somewhere else."

Natasha turned her head to look at Steve calmly.

"He could have left to all the targets..."

"We don't know that!"

"Those bullets were made special for the Winter Soldier's use and you know it." Natasha was calm, but she held a firm stance on her thoughts. She could feel the muscle in her jaw tighten once more as she stared Steve down eye to eye. "When Fury was attacked, we looked at all the bullets that was made by Hydra and compared. I was there to help compare. The Winter Soldier's bullets are not the same as a normal Hydra member's. It shows just how much Hydra wanted to be known for their work, but also how much they want to be hidden. They are an enemy who's smart enough to leave dead tracks."

"They aren't Bucky..." Steve growled this time. The Alpha released a bit of a persuasive scent that demanded submissiveness over the female Alpha. Natasha hardly moved in her seat. He stared her down from his position next to her. The fight in him was sure it isn't Bucky. He didn't have proper evidence, but something told him it isn't him.

Tony looked between the two. Sam, who was now staring at the pictures, blinked and pointed.

"Hey, can you zoom in on that guy over there? What's he holding?"

Tony snapped his eyes back at Sam. Even Natasha and Steve who looked ready to fight looked at the screen as the photo was zoomed in. One of the dead Hydra had his eyes wide open, staring at the sky. His arms were splayed out but in his hand was an object with a chain looped around. A pocket watch was on his hand with the carving "J.B.B". Underneath was a tiny, "with love, Dot."

It is a pocket watch that Steve knew the moment he saw it.

Sam, Natasha, Clint, and even Bruce looked at Steve who had given the scent of defeat at the sight of it. He may not have the Omega submissiveness he once had, but he still had the tendency to show it through more humble actions he shared. Steve slowly straightened up to get rid of the defeated scent and powered through it with a sigh. His Alpha had came back, but this time, less invasive as it had been.

"...That's the watch Dot- ...Dolores, gave him after the Stark Expo..."

Steve looked defeated; as if all the signs now pointed at his best friend. Nobody else has that watch. Steve stared at the watch. A movie of the past began to play in his mind and he soon began to speak about his lost friend.

"She's just an old flame. Most likely moved on by now. Not a bond... Many people didn't bond during the war. Everyone was too scared to bond with someone, knowing the death of any bond-mate could lead to extreme depression. You know how it goes with bonds and how strong they are. When severed...The results just aren't pretty." Steve winced. He almost bonded with Peggy but she had said to wait. She was right to make him wait, but it still hurt to have loved and lost. Steve sighed before continuing, "Dot gave Bucky the watch to remind him of her. Once the war was over, I'm pretty sure she was keen on bonding with him. Bucky wasn't as on board truth be told, but he kept the watch anyway in case he changed his mind in wanting to settle..."

Rhodey glowered at the watch. "...So why does this guy have it?"

"I...I don't know..."

Sam looked across from him where the other Alphas were. Despite being an Alpha himself, he made sure not to make his status among the Avengers seem clique like and situated himself between Rhodey and Bruce. He tipped his chair back, creating a squeak as he did. "Maybe he wants us to find him. Could be a cry for help?"

Steve looked hopeful at that.

Bruce, who had wanted to be silent the entire time, licked his lips. He looked conflicted. Something didn't feel right. When he spoke, ice seemed to fill the air.

"Or it could be a trap..."

The team got silent. In order to figure out the mystery, they knew they needed to find James Barnes. If they didn't...something worse could happen.

And they did not want to find that out.

* * *

**Sofia, Bulgaria**

She stepped out of the airport with no luggage in tow, but still looking the part of a tourist for the chilly night. The dark-haired beauty was not lost, however, and continued to walk further away from the large building she had just came out of to head towards the pickup area. Her hair, a dark and wavy bob, followed the wind that seemed to want to push her back but instead revealed the fair woman's face: A green eye- _spectacularly green that seems out of this world-_ would shine brightly as she analyzed the area. An eyepatch covered her left eye. It was giving her a fierce look despite being an obvious omega with the sweet atmosphere she had on her. On her forehead was a lightning bolt scar.

The woman continued to analyze and look around before approaching a black van that seemed out of place amongst the other vehicles. Her hands were in her pockets, giving a calm air as she made her stride.

The black van's windows were tinted to the point nobody would be able to see inside. The passenger window which she glared down at started to unroll once she approached close enough for them to hear. Inside were two other men. Betas. Both were wearing formal suits.

"_Code...?"_ The woman asked quietly to them in Russian.

The two looked at each other then back at the omega. The one closest to her spoke first in the same Russian language.

"_The strongest winter starts with a single snowflake..."_

The woman's eye seemed to harden at the code. She stared at the men unnervingly for a few minutes before the shine was back.

"_Experiment Aurora. Ready to comply."_

* * *

**End Chapter 1.**

* * *

**Thankyou for reading! If it isn't your cup of tea, I'd appreciate not mentioning how much you hate it. It's been awhile since I've had muse and I'd love to continue this for my own enjoyment! I've had such inspiration from other Harry Potter/Bucky Barnes fics so...Here's my own version of them. Definitely expect character death and canon divergence. Enjoy!**


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